Heroes track down mugger
Jennifer Maloney and Rebecca Biggin
Two Oxford students played a crucial role in the capture and conviction of a mugger who targeted an frail pensioner, a court heard over the weekend. The two Mansfield students, Jennifer Maloney and Rebecca Biggin, have been commended for their bravery after they joined two builders and a nine-year-old girl in the dramatic pursuit of a mugger along Iffley Road. The description of the chase emerged at the trial of Peter Wilton, a convicted thief and drug addict.
Maloney and Biggin were walking to the university gym on Iffley Road on 21 April when they heard a woman’s piercing screams. The two have-a-go heroes witnessed the assault and mugging of Coby Roscoe, an East Oxford pensioner, before aiding the police in their pursuit of the crook. Coby Roscoe, 63, attempted to fight Wilton, but he escaped with her purse, containing almost £150. Roscoe was forced brutally to the ground in the assault.
“We ran to the woman to find that she had been mugged, and a man had sprinted off with her bag. Becky ran in the direction the man had gone to look for him while I rang the police,” said Law student Maloney. Biggin, who also studies Law, said, “I’m not some kind of vigilante, but I saw that happen and I thought, ‘If that was my grandma, I’d have to do something.” “You could hear the lady screaming and there were other people on the street not doing anything for her.
We’re just two young girls, there were big guys there not helping.” Two builders working on Stratford Street nearby had also heard the cries of the elderly lady, and gave chase in a car after being pointed in the right direction by a nine-year-old girl, who showed them where a bag had been flung into the bushes. The two men criss-crossed the roads between Cowley and Iffley searching for the culprit while Biggin hunted him on foot.
The builders said they were impressed by “the sheer pluck of the two girls”. Aided by the girls, police forces tracked down Wilton in under fifteen minutes, discovering Roscoe’s purse during a full-body search, along with credit cards and £147 in cash. He was charged with robbery. Mrs Roscoe told bystanders she was distressed by the ordeal. She later expressed her appreciation to the students and builders for their actions in retrieving her handbag and catching the thief.
“I didn’t expect that they would be so willing to help me, and I would like to thank them all.” Roscoe has sent a thank you card to the girls for their bravery in helping catch Wilton. Maloney and Biggin have both been recommended for a commendation by the police force, which could potentially take the form of a medal or a cash award.
Mansfield Dean Christopher Martin said, “These students are a credit to the college, but obviously I would urge any future “have-ago heroes” to proceed with similar caution by immediately phoning 999 on their mobile, and above all making sure that they don’t put themselves at risk.” However, although OUSU VP (Women) Ellie Cumbo, applauded the girls for their bravery, she warned that personal safety was also an important consideration.
“Ms Maloney and Ms Biggin should be commended for their spirit and their justified outrage. They have sent a clear message that students won’t stand by and watch shameful acts perpetrated against vulnerable members of their community. At the same time, it must be stressed that they took a risk, and that it is generally wiser to call the police than become directly involved when witnessing a crime.
Biggin herself argues, “I didn’t think twice about my actions, the adrenaline rush just kicked in. I kept a safe enough distance while I was running after him.” Police were already seeking the felon when he attacked Mrs Roscoe. A warrant was out for Wilton’s arrest for breaching the terms of a probation order. He had been sentenced to fourand- a-half years’ jail for a robbery in 2002.
Gavin Logan, defending, said: “He is a man who has succumbed to the attraction of heroin and has been addicted to Class A drugs for some time. It was the root cause of the offending in 2002, the last robbery conviction he received.” Wilton pleaded guilty to robbery and was jailed for four years. Mr Logan said Wilton, of no fixed abode, intended to write to his victim to apologise.
8th Jun 2006